Memories are made in the finest places. They skip across the pages like the notes of an old song. They nestle in the texture of fabric and intricate artwork. They nestle in the fabric of knitting needles-the mystical montage of quilts. My mother was a quilter and also loved to embroider, especially on pillow cases. She also did a lot of crochet. Every member of my family has a quilt, some hot pads or a pair of pillow cases my mother has made.

Memories have been carefully saved and carefully preserved. They live especially in writings. I have letters written by my mother who wrote a letter to each of her children once a month. After they left home to establish homes of their own. They preserve her concern and especially her love for us.

She was also a scrapbook keeper. Wedding and birth announcements adorn many of those pages. She loved and respected every president who served during her lifetime. She kept newspaper items about therm. Those articles are in her scrapbook.

Memories of her children and grandchildren abound. I could write a whole column about these. I opened a drawer of my daughter’s old bedroom chest and there were some of her baby clothes my mother had made. A little blue dress with embroidered flowers, about size 3, was there.

There is a photograph of the large two story house we lived in during my high school days. I look at it and see the outside of my bedroom window and the porch I sat on to day dream and picture my future life. My brother and I spent many hours on that porch. We would sit out there at night, look at the stars and talk.

Memories vibrate trough the handles of the tools that filled the fists of the working hands of the relatives knew in our life time. In our storeroom there is an old handsaw with the initials of Earl’s grandfather etched on it. Memories float on the aromas that drift from cook stove and cake pans and recipe books. Value resides in our relationships with the people those items. fi lled.

Memories are things we hold. They remind us of a lifetime that will never be back again. We cherish them.